“We hope our partnership with CMS will help transform nursing homes into centers of excellence for the care of people with advanced dementia and serve as the learning laboratory for other healthcare settings facing this issue,” she said.

The American Health Care Association said earlier this year that members should reduce off-label use of atypical antipsychotics by 15% by the end of 2012, a “goal that is validated today by CMS and the partnership we have,” said David Gifford, M.D., AHCA Senior Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Affairs. n

A Florida nursing home fired one of its nursing assistants earlier this month after she used social media to call for help for the facility in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, according to local reports.

Voicemails from the Hollywood, FL, skilled nursing facility where several residents died following Hurricane Irma were deleted by Gov. Rick Scott (R), potentially complicating the ongoing investigation into the incident.